I'll be 63 in a couple of months with what I think most would describe as declining health status and a couple of screwed up ankles. I've had 3 motorcycles, all rice burners but always wanted a Harley.

I got a 2007 Dyna Street-Bob over my desire of a Sportster largely due to you guys and the advice I received.

Well, you all were right and just as pleasing to me is that I was right too !! I was right to chase this dream and get the bike. I finally got it on the road yesterday and put about 20 miles on it. I was afraid I may have made a mistake at my age but somewhere in that 20 mile ride I misplaced about 20 - 25 years. I fully love the feel of the Harley and the power-band on the 6 speed is nothing short of awesome in my mind. No matter what gear I'm in I can just goose it a little and she chugs right along and smoothly gets me up to the speed I want. I love the stock exhaust system too. I don't plan to get caught up in the Harley mystique but did by a Harley Windshield, luggage rack and some genuine Harley Davidson windshield cleaner :D I'm not planning on any Harley Coats, Chaps, Bandannas, underwear, key fobs, napkin dispensers, socks, silverware, Christmas decorations or anything else with the much coveted HD logo on it. I'd be too embarrassed at my age to walk into a diner with the frill on my HD Chaps flowing with each John Wayne type step I took !!

Thanks for the advice on the Dyna over the Sportster guys. If my ankles hold up I should have some fun this summer.

dp

04-28-2009, 10:25 PM

I'll be 63 in a couple of months with what I think most would describe as declining health status and a couple of screwed up ankles. I've had 3 motorcycles, all rice burners but always wanted a Harley.

I got a 2007 Dyna Street-Bob over my desire of a Sportster largely due to you guys and the advice I received.

Well, you all were right and just as pleasing to me is that I was right too !! I was right to chase this dream and get the bike. I finally got it on the road yesterday and put about 20 miles on it. I was afraid I may have made a mistake at my age but somewhere in that 20 mile ride I misplaced about 20 - 25 years. I fully love the feel of the Harley and the power-band on the 6 speed is nothing short of awesome in my mind. No matter what gear I'm in I can just goose it a little and she chugs right along and smoothly gets me up to the speed I want. I love the stock exhaust system too. I don't plan to get caught up in the Harley mystique but did by a Harley Windshield, luggage rack and some genuine Harley Davidson windshield cleaner :D I'm not planning on any Harley Coats, Chaps, Bandannas, underwear, key fobs, napkin dispensers, socks, silverware, Christmas decorations or anything else with the much coveted HD logo on it. I'd be too embarrassed at my age to walk into a diner with the frill on my HD Chaps flowing with each John Wayne type step I took !!

Thanks for the advice on the Dyna over the Sportster guys. If my ankles hold up I should have some fun this summer.

Couldn't snip a word! Congrats on the new ride. Don't worry about the Harley Lifestyle issues - just ride and enjoy. And post a picture in the photo gallery at http://TheVirtualBarAndGrill.com/ - I own and run that site and encourage anyone with a bike to post a pic in the VB&G Bike Show section. It's a big tent and all marquees are welcome. Oh yeah - I'm 63, too.

Thruthefence

04-28-2009, 10:31 PM

Great comment & outlook on the Harley 'Regalia'.

Ride the motorcycle & enjoy yourself- you've earned it!

pressurerelief

04-28-2009, 10:32 PM

Just remember HD stands for Hundred Dollars. One of the best marketed products out there. Where else does the average person spend such a high percentage of the purchase price of a product on aftermarket accessories?

P/R

bborr01

04-28-2009, 10:47 PM

Sounds like a nice ride. Don't be surprised if you end up finding yourself wearing some harley boots or t-shirts from time to time. I didn't think I would but after riding one for 12 years I now have a drawer full of t-shirts from harley dealers I have visited while on vacation. After crushing an ankle with my road king I now wear harley boots when I ride. The important part is to enjoy the ride. Should be some nice riding out in NY. Congrats.

sch

04-28-2009, 10:49 PM

If you check them out the vast majority of HD riders, at least within a few
hundred miles from here, are over 50. HD has morphed into the Buick of
motorcycles.

hardtail

04-28-2009, 11:48 PM

Congrats YOD, hope the ankles hold up cause your gonna love this summer, glad to hear of the years fading away also.........LOL I'm also glad to hear that your content with the bike at hand as is and not looking to spend thousands more on extras and stuff.......good riding gear I don't consider extra stuff and while HD usually has good gear it's quite expensive and I think on your other thread you had found another source?

I was in getting some parts at a local shop and they have a new 08 WG and I must say it looked fantastic and I would have just rode it out of the showroom as is and left it that way for some time to come........so I just quickly paid the parts guy his 2HD's and got the he!! outa there.........LOL

Your Old Dog

04-29-2009, 06:33 AM

Hope I didn't appear to be knocking those with the "regalia" as I'm a firm believer in fun being where you find it. I expect to some it's a real hoot collecting the goodies, just not for me :D If I got anything it might be a few Harley Halters if I can find one to fit.

bborr01, as luck would have it, I live in Wyoming County in NY and this is where all the local riders come to ride. It's basically a dairy farming community and what restaurants and taverns there are live mostly on the backs of the bikers. Some of the roads are so curvy and hilly you get intoxicated riding them in a car, let alone a bike. As has been said by others, riding these roads is the closest sensation you can get to flying without leaving the ground.

Pressurerelief, I wondered how some ads for these bikes could read that they had $15,000 worth of mods and still look like a stocker to the untrained eye. Then I started pricing windshields and luggage racks :D

Hardtail, I been down once and hard. Hit a cow at 50 mph some 20 years ago. Got some road rash on my Bates leather jacket so I know the value of good leather. Found a place in North Carolina that I might order one from. If I can find my book mark I'll post it to see if any of you know about them. I don't want mine duded up, just thick and nice fitting :d

the vest:
http://www.foxcreekleather.com/11.html

the jacket:
http://www.foxcreekleather.com/351.html

I'm still looking for some leather flip/flops but guess I'll be riding with levis on. Got a nice exhaust wealt on my right inside calf while fueling up wearing shorts.

P.S. I did buy some new electric horns yesterday. Got the same exact Fiaams I had on my Kawasaki over 25 years ago, it was old stock. I know these horns will get you the flying finger but people do hear them. Plan to mount them where an engine guard would go, up front and personal. They sound like the old buicks and caddies only a tad louder as they aren't hidden under a hood.

bob308

04-29-2009, 06:41 AM

you are only 3 years older then me. i have been riding since 72. some one asked me when i planed to stop. i said when they nail the lid shut on the box.

hardtail

04-29-2009, 07:25 AM

YOD, looks like a nice coat, my only concern was the neck flaps had snaps and it does........

bob308 you got one more ride left after they nail the lid down.....either to the cemetary or the bonfire if your nordic and real hardcore.......LOL

Dawai

04-29-2009, 07:35 AM

Wear gloves, especially for the first 6 months.

Don't wear shorts, or let the passenger.

Wear boots. Preferably lace up ones.

DOn't let Images bother you a bit, if you want to tie a pink bandana onto the handlebars go ahead. As long as you feel comfortable do it.

Harleys are neat, American home built (cheap) are better. I own a old cop bike, it has after market chrome doo dads on it here and there, but worth more money stock trim. Once you start modding them, it is like a waterfall.. then you add it up one day and you could have had a young redhead on the support for what the bike has cost.

(I'd rather had the bike, less child support payments)

Your Old Dog

04-29-2009, 08:36 AM

David, I won't be hauling any passengers. My ankles don't leave me with enough confidence to ride double up. As it is, I'm still worried about it till it's going to be alright. The left ankle has nerve damage and feels like its sprained at times. The brakes on the right so I should be able to nurse it to a stop even if in gear and it chokes. I normally rode with gloves but have yet to find some Sunday-go-to-meetin riding gloves. All the ones I've liked so far were too tight. Don't normally ride in shorts either and I guess the welt on the calf will serve as a reminder of just one of the reasons why it ain't a good idea!

The bike is silver and black so I got a Colt Officers Model 45 with black pachmeyer grips to go with it as an accessory. Wonder if it will fit in the holster pocket of the vest I posted earlier :D It works too, can keep'em all on paper plates at about 40feet, that's good enough for me.
https://www.rrarms.com/catmedwid/02545.jpg

Mcgyver

04-29-2009, 09:43 AM

I'd be too embarrassed at my age to walk into a diner with the frill on my HD Chaps flowing with each John Wayne type step I took !!

lol, way to go YOD

I read somewhere that HD makes more off of all the crap than they do the bikes. I like the bikes, but all the paraphernalia, I don't know, would make me feel ripped off paying a premium to be a walking billboard

Finally getting some great weather, enjoy!

Dawai

04-29-2009, 10:25 AM

YEah, the other kind of "harley rider" has a home built harley, cost $7500 brand new parts to home-shop-assemble himself.. and he has a personal relationship with it knowing if it breaks down on the side of the road he can fix any damn thing on it without a motel and visit to the orange and black for a "fuel injector module" for $2700...

If you can't afford one, perhaps you are shopping in the wrong place. THE old way was to throw a milk crate in the floor and people would donate their chipped chrome and other parts and soon you'd have a ugly but useful motorcycle. Replace one spot of chrome with new at a time while you ride.. and smile.. and wave at the topless girls and their attorney-doctor-dentist husbands.

God bless ya all.. may you have happiness in your heart. Till you are happy with yourself, you will never be happy with anything or anybody.

Dawai

04-29-2009, 10:28 AM

Don't know if it was planned like that.. but.. They came out during the war for the military bikes.

THAT pistol will fit perfectly into a kidney shaped chrome tool box.. I bought lil brother one for his Heritage for $42.. not sure why it was so cheap, I paid $99 for one in the 70s...

Mcgyver

04-29-2009, 10:44 AM

without a motel and visit to the orange and black for a "fuel injector module" for $2700... .

so that's how they pay for it :D

HD is building a new outlet on Lawrence ave in Toronto, taken an old industrial supply building and have gone to town on it, smoked glass, polished stone, very very fancy. and probably 60 or 70,000 square feet.

a lot like the bmw dealerships. used to be small buildings with guys who were into the cars. now they're taj mahals. you don't even see let alone meet the 'technician" (what BS, I want a mechanic!) who works on your car. A guy i know build new BMW dealership a few years ago, told me it costs 25million. :eek:

I must be a lot cheaper than the average guy, most people must buy into it or they wouldnt do it, right? I drive by that new HD dealership or the BMW dealership and say to myself; good gawd, i am not going to pay for that!

gnm109

04-29-2009, 11:18 AM

I'll be 63 in a couple of months with what I think most would describe as declining health status and a couple of screwed up ankles. I've had 3 motorcycles, all rice burners but always wanted a Harley.

I got a 2007 Dyna Street-Bob over my desire of a Sportster largely due to you guys and the advice I received.

Well, you all were right and just as pleasing to me is that I was right too !! I was right to chase this dream and get the bike. I finally got it on the road yesterday and put about 20 miles on it. I was afraid I may have made a mistake at my age but somewhere in that 20 mile ride I misplaced about 20 - 25 years. I fully love the feel of the Harley and the power-band on the 6 speed is nothing short of awesome in my mind. No matter what gear I'm in I can just goose it a little and she chugs right along and smoothly gets me up to the speed I want. I love the stock exhaust system too. I don't plan to get caught up in the Harley mystique but did by a Harley Windshield, luggage rack and some genuine Harley Davidson windshield cleaner :D I'm not planning on any Harley Coats, Chaps, Bandannas, underwear, key fobs, napkin dispensers, socks, silverware, Christmas decorations or anything else with the much coveted HD logo on it. I'd be too embarrassed at my age to walk into a diner with the frill on my HD Chaps flowing with each John Wayne type step I took !!

Thanks for the advice on the Dyna over the Sportster guys. If my ankles hold up I should have some fun this summer.

Congratulations! I'm happy to see you doing somethnig that I know will make you feel young. I've been riding bikes of all kinds for many years, mostly Harleys but others as well. There's something nice about a big Hog bike and a full tank of gas. I have a 2004 Harley iwth a sidecar presently that I ride at least once a week.

For some interesting times, you might want to join your local Harley Owner's Group (HOG) and go on some of their shorter rides.

Make sure you've got some good boots and helmet and gloves and you'll be OK.

Best wishes!

gnm109

04-29-2009, 11:27 AM

so that's how they pay for it :D

HD is building a new outlet on Lawrence ave in Toronto, taken an old industrial supply building and have gone to town on it, smoked glass, polished stone, very very fancy. and probably 60 or 70,000 square feet.

a lot like the bmw dealerships. used to be small buildings with guys who were into the cars. now they're taj mahals. you don't even see let alone meet the 'technician" (what BS, I want a mechanic!) who works on your car. A guy i know build new BMW dealership a few years ago, told me it costs 25million. :eek:

I must be a lot cheaper than the average guy, most people must buy into it or they wouldnt do it, right? I drive by that new HD dealership or the BMW dealership and say to myself; good gawd, i am not going to pay for that!

You are quite right in what you say about the present style of Harley Dealerships. I go back to the old Mom and Pop Harley shops where everybody knew your name, to borrow a phrase. They smelled of carbonating gunk, castor oil and there was a general layer of dust on everything.

If you showed up on a Saturday morning, you could count on a cup of coffee and some good conversation. You could go back to the shop and talk to the mechanics and look at their machine shop, etc.

Those places are, for the most part, all gone now. Beginning about 20 years ago, Harley went about cleaning up their image. They made an edict that all of their dealers would either rebuild their shops and modernize in a botique-like setting or take a hike. Many dealers were forced out and others took the hint and borrowed the money to build anew.

While the new stores are nice and clean, there's somethng missing. The employees are now called technicians as you say, and nobody knows anyone. The atmosphere is aloof and rather cold. It's not like the old days.

PackardV8

04-29-2009, 12:09 PM

FWIW, for years now, H-D makes more net profit on the licensing of the name and logo and the sale of regalia than from manufacture of motorcycles. Lots of stores in downtowns and malls where only soft wear, no bikes for sale. Harley, Davidson and Von Dutch are somewhere up there wondering about all the years they spent building the name for smart marketers to spread it thin and win.

thnx, jack vines

hardtail

04-29-2009, 04:08 PM

It's outrageous......how can those tiny tank tops cost so much money theres hardly any material there.......the girls should save themselves a few bucks and just get rid of em.......which they usually do.......grin

Your Old Dog

04-29-2009, 09:27 PM

It's outrageous......how can those tiny tank tops cost so much money theres hardly any material there.......the girls should save themselves a few bucks and just get rid of em.......which they usually do.......grin

Well, as the years have played a cruel and unusual hoax on me I'm looking for one myself. I got damn near as much hooter as most of them these days :D Just that I got hair all over mine.

Mcgyver

04-29-2009, 11:51 PM

Well, as the years have played a cruel and unusual hoax on me I'm looking for one myself. I got damn near as much hooter as most of them these days :D Just that I got hair all over mine.

yeeew. ok that does it, no HD skimpy tank top for you :D

Dawai

04-30-2009, 01:37 AM

I remember taking Dora to the swap meet in Atlanta, She had a perfect rack, just turned 18. (my mom was married to her Dad, nothing going on there)

I bought her a shirt and we had a crowd following us around to see if she put it on. Plenty of Boo's when she stepped into the bathroom stall to change into it.

I somehow don't think YoD in a pink frilly would get the same response.